Sunday, February 18, 2007

Jay-Z and the Jews

Does the Z in Jay-Z stand for Zionist? The private suite in Jigga’s 40/40 Club will house a UJA Federation happy hour this Thursday, during which New York Jews can learn about upcoming missions to Israel. Jay’s been known to name-check the chosen people in song—“Flow tight like I was born Jewish,” he once rhymed—but what’s Hova’s connection with the Holy Land? “Jim Buslik, who is involved with the UJA, is our landlord, and Jay-Z has great respect for him and his causes,” says a club spokeswoman. The match has been helpful in UJA’s recruiting. “A lot of our members are Jay-Z fans,” says event chair Maggie Gallant, “though there’s no special connection between Jay and Israel per se.” Gallant explains the party plan: "There’s a personal stereo in the suite, so we can make our own playlist. We’ll start out kind of mellow, but we’ll definitely be playing a lot of Jay-Z and Beyoncé!” The 40/40 spokeswoman says Jay reciprocates the props: “We always have and always will support the causes of the UJA.”